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Background
Change management in health care
Large-scale transformational change is common in contemporary health-care settings. Today’s health-care leaders occupy the complex position of leading their organisations through rapid and constant change, which is often unplanned and accompanied by unrealistic and challenging time frames (Allen, 2016). The drive towards person-centred care and a more effective and efficient system is further compounded by the adoption of new technologies, the development of quality improvement systems, evidence-based practice and new and demanding performance indicators (Byers, 2017). Moreover, change leaders can be challenged by clinical autonomy, professional siloing, inter-organisation fragmentation and the distinct confluence of professionals and administrators each with seemingly competing interests and time frames (Antwi and Kale, 2014).
Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organisations from their present state to a desired future state (Lukas et al., 2007). Most of the literature on change management in health-care is from the nursing and medical profession. There is an absence of literature on change management in allied health. While a number of professions are grouped under the collective allied health banner, it is important to note that allied health is comprised of a diverse range of distinct professions (Phillip, 2015). Their histories are not homogenous, with each individual discipline having a distinct educational and professional background. It is possible that their responses and adaptations to change management reflect these differences. This paper reviews the literature on the response and adaption to change of allied health professionals in the context of change management in health-care organisations.
Introduction
Change management
Change management literature reflects four core models of change theory, the majority (three out of four) focus on change from an organisation perspective. These change management models are still relevant today although the phases of the models may be occurring at a much faster rate than before (Lukas et al., 2007). This is particularly the case in the health-care environment where there is a need to respond rapidly to the demand for quality health care, economic efficiencies, technical innovations and consumer demand (Lukas et al., 2007). The change models presented in Table 1 all identify the need for the organisation to establish a reason for the change (Al-Haddad and Kotnour, 2015). They also highlight...